Many years ago my sister-in-law introduced Iowa Salad to our family and it quickly became a favorite. After I was married and started my own family it got forgotten. (My husband was not a big jello fan). Just a few years ago, maybe five it was rediscovered.

I am constantly relearning the fact that my children are picky eaters. If it is something they have never seen before it is automatically “yucky” in their eyes. For my daughter, if there is green bits on it of any kind she will not go near it. There are a few things however that they will both eat with gusto. Meatballs is one of them. My children actually love meatballs. We do not eat them a lot, but I do try to keep some in the freezer. Yes, these freeze well and are easily re-heated in the microwave. As my entire family eats them they do not stay in the freezer for very long.

I was getting a little tired of meatballs in marinara sauce, and I was not sure if the kids would eat just plain old gravy. I did not have any BBQ sauce on hand, but it sounded good. So, after searching the internet for ideas (there were a lot…) I decided to just start throwing things in until it tasted good. It was a success, the sauce was great and the kids still ate it. This is really the most important part, having food the kids will eat is what is really important these days.

On the first Sunday of each month we have all of our children to dinner. Each one of them definitely has their favorite that are certain repeats throughout the year, but we try to have a variety as well. Sometimes it’s just a variation on a theme. Like “Teriyaki Meatballs”.

I’m always looking for new “bread” products recipes for our gluten-free eaters. I think that is the thing they miss the most. Thanks to “The American Test Kitchen” ( ATK ) the possibilities are a lot greater.

Every week my husband and I feed our two bachelor sons Sunday dinner. I feel that it is important that they have at least one healthy meal a week and it gives us the opportunity to keep up with what’s going on in their lives. The challenge in this weekly endeavor however, is having a variety of meals. Chicken again or beef? No we had that last week. How about…? No, Robert won’t eat that. John suggested that Fajitas would be good and I agreed. This called for corn chips and salsa…no we always do that. So in comes the “Guacamole Layer Dip”.

There are probably dozens of recipes out there but we like to make our own Guacamole to go in it.

Start with 1 15 oz can of re-fried beans layered in the bottom of a 9″ baking dish. Sprinkle with 1-2 tbsp taco seasoning. Spread 1 recipe guacamole over beans.

When mixed squeeze away from 1 corner and cut about 1-1 1/2 inches off and empty the bag into baking dish and spread evenly.

Top with 1 cup sour cream.

Now comes the fun part that isn’t pictured, it depends on who is eating. At this point you can sprinkle on just about anything you want; diced tomatoes, fresh salsa, sliced olives, jalapenos or bacon bits just to mention a few. Then top with finely grated cheddar cheese. Cover with clear plastic wrap and refrigerate until served.

It is great before and during dinner and for a snack later or even for the next day or two. It is just one of those sort of recipes that you can just have fun with.